The telecommunications industry is in the midst of change due to the rapidly improving cost and performance capability of network components. Early telecommunications systems were highly centralized and provided simple services. Today, telecommunications networks (the Internet being an example) are highly distributed, flexible, and provide a variety of services.
Wireless communications continue to gain in popularity, but wireless communications are constrained due to a lack of available, interference free spectrum that may be used for reliable communications within a geographic area. To enhance the availability and reliability of interference free spectrum, systems have been developed regionally for allocating spectrum use.
In the U.S., for example, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) licenses spectrum in a primary spectrum market to commission licensees. As an example of current spectrum allocation, FIG. 1 shows a portion of the current U.S. frequency allocations at 2.5 GHz. As can be seen in FIG. 1, plural bands of various frequency ranges have been established, and each of these may be allocated to a corresponding commission licensee or reserved for government use. It is noted that regulations specify that stations operating in the 2568-2572 MHz range and the 2614-2618 MHz range are secondary to adjacent channel operations, may not cause interference, and must accept interference from other stations. A secondary market exists for the commission licensees to sub-lease spectrum for use by other parties.
The public has informational access to the current allocation of spectrum through a network of FCC maintained databases of how spectrum rights have been allocated by the FCC in the primary market. The FCC databases, however, permit essentially a text-based search of spectrum allocation. A text search of the FCC databases, however, has proven inefficient and cumbersome for providing holders and users with specific spectrum allocation information.